Greensburg, PA -- On Thursday, April 13, 2023, Westmoreland County Commissioners unanimously approved the purchasing of the necessary software to operate the Office of the District Attorney’s newly established digital forensic laboratory.

The District Attorney’s Office will soon be implementing and operating a self-contained digital forensic laboratory conducted by a civilian forensic examiner after receiving more than $497,000 in grant funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).

This digital forensic lab will house the field’s best software to extract critical investigative information to solve crimes.

Like other counties, in the past Westmoreland County has relied solely on the Attorney General’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police and a third-party private company to examine digital forensic evidence. By having our own digital forensic lab, we will increase how quickly crimes are solved and enhance productivity among all of our law enforcement agencies within the county.

This is a resource and service that will be offered to all of our local police departments for investigative purposes.

Westmoreland County is now one of the few digital forensic labs in western Pennsylvania and across the state. We are hopeful this will continue to build on the strength and credibility of our local law enforcement community.

Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli said, “This is such an amazing opportunity and resource for our county and all of our law enforcement agencies. By having our own state-of-the-art digital forensic lab in Westmoreland County, we will be able to increase productivity and crime clearance rates. This will also save the county and our budget approximately $51,000 a year based on the average cost of outsourcing these services. Furthermore, the upstart cost of the equipment and digital forensic analyst position is entirely covered by grant funding.”